Man Charged With Felony DUI After Police Chase

In California, a DUI is usually only charged as a misdemeanor. There are only a few ways in which a DUI may be charged as a felony. The first way is if it is a fourth DUI charge following three convictions within ten years. At a prosecutor’s discretion, a fourth DUI may be charged as a misdemeanor. Another way a DUI can be charged as a felony is if there is a previous felony DUI conviction, even if it has been more than ten years. It will always be a felony. The final ways that a DUI can be charged as a felony is if someone is injured or is killed.

A Sacramento man died early on Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24th, after being struck by a suspected DUI driver.

The driver, identified as 41-year-old Ivan Dimov, of Antelope, had led police on a chase through Midtown Sacramento.

The chase began at about 2:30 a.m. near 15th and I Streets when police attempted to pull Dimov over for suspicion of drunk driving. He took off through Midtown. At one point, he turned off his headlights to try and avoid police. At one point, officers lost sight of his car.

About a minute after police lost track of Dimov, they came upon a five-vehicle accident at 18th and I streets. Dimov had run a stop sign and t-boned the driver’s side of a 28-year-old male. Dimov then crashed into a parked vehicle. The collision caused that car to go backward and damage two other vehicles.

The 28-year-old was taken to a hospital where he later died.

Police arrested Dimov and he was taken to a hospital to be treated for injuries. Dimov is being charged with felony DUI, evading officers, DUI causing death, and gross vehicular manslaughter.